Third Stimulus Check FAQs

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law a stimulus bill that provides $1.9 trillion in additional coronavirus relief including direct Economic Impact Payments (direct deposit, check or debit card) to eligible U.S. residents. The IRS is in the process of disbursing the payments over the next few weeks. Regions is processing stimulus payments as they are received.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is sending many of the stimulus payments in electronic batches to banks nationwide. Regions is processing these electronic payments as we receive them, and they will be available based upon the effective (settlement) date set by the IRS. The earliest have already been received by many people, and additional batches of funding are expected from the IRS in the coming days and weeks. We understand how important this money is, and we don't want anything to stand in the way of our customers receiving their payments.

The first wave of payments was transmitted March 12-14, 2021 with March 17, 2021 as the effective date. A second wave of payments was slated to be transmitted on March 19, 2021 with March 24, 2021 as the effective date. Funds remain with the government until the effective date of the transaction

You can check the status of your stimulus payment by visiting the IRS Get My Payment tool. Please note that Regions social media, branch and call center associates do not have access to any additional information regarding if or when customers will receive a check or prepaid debit card.

We recommend beginning with a visit to the IRS Get My Payment information page. The IRS is processing a heavy volume of questions as people seek updates on their stimulus checks, so you'll find the most up-to-date information there. There is additional IRS contact information on the IRS website as well.

Be sure to open your mail carefully. During the first round of stimulus payments, the IRS purposely mailed out checks and cards in nondescript envelopes to discourage theft or fraud. What may be perceived as "junk mail" could be your stimulus payment.

We are aware that, for whatever reason, some people are finding that their payment has been rejected by the IRS. This could be due to a discrepancy in banking account information or some other factor that has prevented the IRS payment from reaching you. If this has happened to you, we encourage you to contact the IRS to discuss how the issue can be resolved as soon as possible. Please contact the IRS if you feel your payment has been delayed.

If an Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payment was sent to an invalid Regions account or a Regions account that is closed or no longer active, Regions is legally obligated to return the payment to the IRS. For those customers who had their third-round payments rejected due to a discrepancy in banking account information, the IRS has stated that it will mail these payments by check at the address the IRS has on file. For those customers who had their first-round and/or second-round payments rejected due to a discrepancy in banking account information, the IRS is not planning to reissue a check or ACH payment. Instead, the IRS recommends that these customers claim a Recovery Rebate Credit when they file their 2020 tax returns to receive their stimulus payment. You can find more information about claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit here.

For people who don't receive the full Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payment, the IRS recommends that they file their 2020 tax return electronically and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax return to get their payment and any refund as quickly as possible. You can find more information about claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit here.

Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, this third round of Economic Impact Payments will not be federally exempt from garnishments, and Regions will be obligated to comply with garnishments, levies, and other applicable legal process. If a hold has been placed on a Regions account as a result of a garnishment, levy, or other legal process, it may impact an accountholder's ability to access an EIP (in whole or in part) that is in the account.

If an Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payment was sent to an invalid Regions account or a Regions account that is closed or no longer active, Regions is legally obligated to return the payment to the IRS. For those customers who had their third-round payments rejected due to a discrepancy in banking account information, the IRS has stated that it will mail these payments by check at the address the IRS has on file. For those customers who had their first-round and/or second-round payments rejected due to a discrepancy in banking account information, the IRS is not planning to reissue a check or ACH payment. Instead, the IRS recommends that these customers claim a Recovery Rebate Credit when they file their 2020 tax returns to receive their stimulus payment. You can find more information about claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit here.

Regions understands how important this money is, and we want to help you. Our understanding is that the IRS is processing a heavy volume of questions as people seek updates on their stimulus checks. It may be helpful to continue checking the IRS's Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payment page for updates in addition to contacting the IRS by phone.

If you are eligible for an Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payment and receive certain government benefits, you will likely receive your stimulus payment in the same way you have received any prior stimulus payments and likely in the same way you receive your government benefits.